


Cinnamon Shot

by PandaHero



Category: Persona 2
Genre: F/F, also this is a mess of headcanons and vague coffee knowledge, coffee shop AU, listen chikalisa is Real;
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-09 12:33:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6907384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PandaHero/pseuds/PandaHero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes the girl of your dreams is a short scared barista who has a worrying tendency for papercuts. Or, three times Chikalin almost asked Lisa out, and the one time she did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cinnamon Shot

**Author's Note:**

> /cries this is a mess i am Sorry

**1.**

The first thing she noticed, was that the cafe didn’t smell like coffee. It smelled like old books and new wood, a warm and welcoming scent that Chikalin absolutely adored.

She immediately chided herself for not coming sooner, and began searching for a seat by a window where she could settle down and work. She had 2 articles to finish- one for her work and one to prove a point to her friend Jun- not to mention her various photo essays that needed captioning. And so a quiet afternoon in a cafe was just what she needed.

But an afternoon of work begged an absurd amount of caffeine, so after setting her backpack down, Chikalin got in line and rehearsed her order. There was only one person in front of her, so she didn’t have too long to prepare.

But as soon as she laid eyes on the barista she wished the line had been longer.

She was short, for one, if Chikalin were to guess she’d say the girl was no more than 5’2. Her honey-blonde hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and the sun shone on her freckles in such way that Chikalin swore her heart had melted.

“What can I get you?” the girl asked with rehearsed caution, looking up at Chikalin with nervous eyes.

Chika wanted to pull a page from Jun’s books, and say some cheesy line like “How much is the barista,” but her voice was caught up in her throat- and the girl tilted her head to the side and Chikalin knew she was done for.

“Black eye” she stammered, reaching up to tug one of her braids.

The barista nodded, and went off to make her order. Chikalin watched the whole time, bouncing on the balls of her trying not to scream because god, this barista was adorable. She had to stand on her tip-toes to reach the filters, her fingers were covered with an assortment of neon bandaids, and the state of her red-raw knuckles had Chikalin burning with questions. But before she could think to ask any, the barista pushed a steaming mug her way.

“That’ll be 2.60,” the girl murmured, and Chikalin quickly fished through her pockets for some coins.

She dropped three dollars onto the counter and whispered, “Keep the change,” before retreating to her seat with all the grace of a newborn llama.

Several minutes ticked by before she actually began her work, throwing open her laptop and hoping no one could see her blush; which faded as the hours wore on.

Soon, the sun was setting, orange light seeping in through the many cafe windows. Most of the other customers had left, the cafe empty aside from Chikalin and a girl sleeping near the counters.

Chikalin had finished captioning one set of photos, as well as her article for arguing with Jun. “Shoulda known I wouldn’t finish the important one,” she huffed.

She closed her laptop, slipping it into her backpack and looking up just in time to see the barista heading her way.

Chika couldn’t help but stare, and she was overcome with the desire to take a picture of the girl, if only just to capture the way the light hit her face.

Her mouth opened before she could stop herself. “Hey, um.”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for the coffee,” she whispered dumbly, eyes wide. The girl looked confused for a second before smiling.

 

**2.**

The line was longer this time, a good six or seven people standing ahead of her. But Chikalin should’ve expected as much, considering the time of day.

There were least two other baristas working today; an impossibly tall brown-haired boy and another who’s blue hair-dye was fading at the roots. And, despite her considerable lank, Chikalin couldn’t seem to see if the cute blonde was at the cash.

So she waited in endless gay agony until there were only two people in front of her, and she caught a glimpse of the blonde’s bandaged fingers.

She somehow heaved a sigh of relief and began to feel anxious all at once, fingers twitching at her sides as she shift her weight from leg to leg and practiced her order. Finally, she stepped up to the counter, and chanced a look at the barista’s freckled face.

“What can I get you?” the girl asked with the same sweet tone she had a few days before. Due to her endlessly shifting eyes, Chikalin saw the girl’s name-tag, and committed her name to memory.

“Café-creme, s’il-vous plait- ah, please.”

Lisa, the girl, chuckled at this, and turned to shout the order back to her coworkers, leaving Chikalin to stew in embarrassment.

When Lisa turned back, Chika stammered an apology, face beet red as she tugged one of her braids.

“Sorry,” she said, “That happens sometimes.”

“It’s fine,” Lisa replied with a smile. “Your total is 2.75.”

And so, Chikalin paid and went to sit at her place by the window, pulling out her laptop to finish her article. Well, first she stared her keyboard, and thought about Lisa’s smile, but after a few sips of coffee she did get to work, her leg bouncing the whole the time.

Her work went faster this time, she sped through the first draft of her new article and managed to pick out some photos to accompany it. And as she closed her laptop, she snuck a look over at the counters.

Lisa appeared to be getting ready for break, as she was wresting off her apron, dropping it on the coat-hook by the fridge. Chikalin almost wished she hadn’t looked, because despite her size, Lisa apparently had some substantial muscle. Chikalin watched her run a hand through her bangs before turning away, face reddening.

She was going to try and ask Lisa out. Again.

But before she could try, she had to think of what to say. And so, Chikalin spent the next fifteen minutes staring out at the street, fingers tapping an improvised melody on the cafe table while she tried to think of how she should go about is. Finally, a few minutes after Lisa had returned to her station and served a few people, Chikalin stood, mug in hand, and shuffled towards to counters.

She placed the mug down, the click-clack of the mug on the saucer catching Lisa’s attention. The barista scampered over and cautiously took hold of the mug’s handle before looking up at Chikalin.

And again, Chika found herself utterly speechless, staring intently at Lisa’s freckles. Her throat tightened up and she gulped, hands immediately finding their way to her braids so she could tug them. Lisa watched her with curious eyes.

“Would you like a refill?” she asked, and Chikalin froze. The next words to slip through Lisa’s lips were almost inaudible. “On the house.”

 

**3.**

Cafe visits became a routine occurrence.

She’d drop in around five, order a café-creme, and take her seat by the window. She’d stay for a few hours, either finishing up some work or reading one of many books the cafe had on hand. Lisa wasn’t always there, but when she was they would talk.

Well, not so much talk as awkwardly stare at each other and offer the occasional smile, but this was still progress in Chikalin’s eyes.

Today was much the same. She strolled in at five on the dot, camera case slung over one of her backpack straps. She dropped her stuff in the usual corner before skipping her way up to the counter, delightfully surprised by the lack of a line.

When she got to the counter, Lisa turned, a café-creme already in hand. That wasn’t the first thing Chikalin noticed, though.

“You got a piercing!” she grinned, unable to hide her excitement. Even if she had a few herself, piercings were always exciting.

Lisa grinned too, nodding vigorously. She reached up to tap her newly obtained septum piercing, eyes glowing with pride. “Got it last night.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, both smiling, before Lisa flinched back to her senses.

“Oh,” she jumped, handing Chikalin her coffee. “For you,” she murmured.

Chikalin, still dumbstruck and admiring Lisa’s nose ring, merely nodded and handed Lisa her money, a dopey smile adorning her face. “Right.”

It was hard to focus on her article after that. Her head was filled with Lisa’s cute smile and the way her eyes lit up and Chikalin honestly just wants to kiss her already. But she was no heathen, she knew you have to go on at least one date before you kiss someone, it’s what Jun taught her. So, she began to devise a plan to ask Lisa on a date. Again.

Unlike the last time she’d tried this, she felt confident. She knew she’d at least be able to get the words out, and that would be success enough for her. So, with as much confidence and optimism she could muster in one breath, Chikalin stood to bring her now empty mug back over to the counter.

To the tall brown-haired boy who’d taken over Lisa’s shift while she wasn’t looking.

Chikalin’s heart sunk, and her shoulders immediately slumped with the realization that she wouldn’t even get to try. She still shuffled back up to the counter, handing the brown-haired her mug and giving him a small nod. After the slightly awkward encounter, she rushed back to grab her things, intent on leaving early so she could tell Jun about the whole affair.

Once outside, she bit her lip so she wouldn’t tear up.

 

**4.**

She comes in late the next day.

It was quarter to six when she finally made it to the cafe, her legs aching from the long walk. She’d been taking pictures in the darker parts of town, as she’d been tasked with writing an article on the supposed rumors of ghosts in the neighbourhood. She wasn’t too terribly fond of ghost stories, so two hours of photography alone in an abandoned building really didn’t do too much to make her feel better.

Shaken and more than a little tired, all Chikalin wanted was a café-creme and a nap. And, since she can only obtain one of these things, she all but crashed into the cafe, desperate for her coffee.

Lisa startled from her place at the cash, looking up at Chikalin as she rushed up to order. Before Chika could get even a single word out, Lisa spoke.

“You’re late,” she murmured, before realizing what she’s said and slapping a hand over her mouth.

Chikalin, dumbfounded again, let her hands drop to the side as Lisa’s words sunk in.

“Sorry,” she breathed, eyes wide.

Behind them, one of Lisa’s coworkers- the one with blue hair- began to laugh. Chika looked to him for a moment, before turning back to Lisa, her shock only increasing when she spotted Lisa’s blush.

“Mishina shut _up._ ”

“She missed you,” the boy explained, winking at Lisa as she began to stare holes into her shoes.

Chikalin gulped. She’d just wanted coffee, not… _this?_

She was broken out of her thoughts when Lisa pushed a mug her way. “Your usual,” she grumbled, holding her hand out for Chikalin’s money.

Several minutes of deep breathing, intense leg bouncing, and a cup of lukewarm coffee later, Chikalin began her work. Though incredibly distracted, she hoped to upload and evaluate all the photos from her excursion, so she could pick a few for her upcoming article. Uploading took forever, as usual, but once they were complete she tried her best to focus on them and not the fact that Lisa missed her.

She’d managed to sort through about half of them before someone spoke behind her.

“Those are pretty cool.”

Lisa stood there, a crumpled hoodie in one hand and her own coffee in the other. She was without her uniform apron, so Chikalin assumed she was on break.

“Thanks,” Chika mumbled, shrugging. “I took ‘em this afternoon.”

Lisa’s eyes lit up again, and she moved to take a seat next to Chikalin. “Whoa. Did you take them for work?”

Chikalin smiled now, excitement growing. “Yeah!” she nodded, “I’m writing something on local ghost stories. I’m just trying to find some I want to use for the article.”

She picked through a few more, Lisa watching the whole time, occasionally muttering a “Wow,” or “Sick.”

“I’ve always wanted to get into photography,” she admitted once they’d made it through all the pictures. Chikalin smiled again, bumping their shoulders together.

“You should come with me next time,” she grinned. “I could teach you some stuff.” Lisa stared for a moment before smiling.

They talked for a while then, about times and places and things to bring, and when they finally stopped laughing at whatever joke Chikalin had last told, Lisa stood.

“I’ve gotta get back to work, but yeah, 2:30 on Sunday?” she asked, doing that adorable little head tilt that made Chikalin’s heart flutter.

“Yup yup!” Chika replied, eyes closed as she continued to grin.

“Perfect, it’s a date!”

Chikalin froze, eyes snapping open.

Date. A _date._

 

Sunday couldn’t come soon enough.


End file.
